As the 1970s drew to a close, out of the political and social malaise that defined this era of Britain came Siouxsie & The Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, and Killing Joke, plus many other arty, anguished outsiders who make an appearance within the pages of Cathi Unsworth’s Season Of The Witch: The Book Of Goth. These bands drew inspiration from art, film and literature, but also the darkness, tension and bleakness that surrounded them.
“Most Joy Division fans bridle at the word ‘Goth’, but it’s hard to imagine Oscar Wilde himself fashioning a story of beautiful doomed youth more tragic than that of Ian Curtis and the people who knew and loved him,” writes Unsworth. The author’s induction to gothdom was spurred by her love of Siouxsie Sioux: “the imaginary cool-and-hard best friend I didn’t have in real life” who led Unsworth “through the abyss of the 1980s”.
Writing for music weekly Sounds from her late teens put Unsworth in a prime spot to cover the rise of goth throughout the decade, and laid the ground for her later career as a well-regarded novelist. Season Of The Witch not only documents goth’s bands, music, influences and legacy, but also places it within a sociopolitical context; it’s a deliciously dark, detailed and consistently alluring read.
Season Of The Witch: The Book Of Goth, Cathi Unsworth (Nine Eight)
Price: £22. Info: cathiunsworth.co.uk
words DAVID NOBAKHT
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